Fire-arch construction



Ma l

y 927 J. NICHOLSON FIRE A RCH CONSTRUCTION Filed June 25, 1923 ATTORNEXS I culating elements 10 of generally triangular Patented May 10, 1927.

1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- Joann NICHOLSON, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.- ASSIGNOR To LocoMorIvE rmnnox commmmori CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION or DELAWARE.

FIRE-ARCH CONSTRUCTION.

Application filed June 25, 1828. Serial No. 647,422.

a My invention relates to fire archconstructlon, and especially to arches for locomotive fire boxes with water circulating elements or siphons, as they are termed. I aim to improve the evaporative efliciency of the water circulating elements by increasing their effective exposure to the hot gases; to

adapt one and the same brick to wide variations' of span between water circulating elements, or between a water circulating elementand a firebox side sheet; and to make the arch and the brick composing it rugged and durable in use, and convenient and inexpensive to manufacture and install.

How these and other advantages can be realized through my invention in a novel way will appear from my description here inafter of the best embodiments of the invention known to me. y

In the" drawings, Fig. 1 shows a longitudinal vertical section through a locomotive fire box with fore and aft internal waterlegs, and with an arch constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 shows a fragmentary transverse section, taken as indicated by the line 2-2 in Fig. 1. a

Fig. 3 "'s a fragmentary plan view of a portion of the arch shown in Figs. 1 and 2, with a portion of one of the water circulating elements in section.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional View taken similarly to Fig. 2, but showing the middle brick of Fig. 2 inverted to adapt it to a longer span between the water c1rculating elements on which it rests.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but I showing a somewhat different form of arch brick.

The fire box here shown (see Figs. 1 and 2) has a couple of longitudinal water ciror leg of mutton profile, with their upper edges connected into and opening through the crown sheet 11, and their enlarged forward and downward extensions or necks 12 connected into and opening through the throat sheet 13, below the flue sheet 14. The the arch 15 extends upward and rearward from the throat sheet 13 something like half the length of the the box. so that the hot products of combustion may pass up along its under surface. in contact with the bottoms of the water circulating element enlargements 16 (whose forward prolongations form the necks 12), and then forward above the arch to'theflues 17. As here shown, the

refractory arch includes middle brick 18 spanned between. the elements 10 and resting on the shoulders afi'orded bytheiryen largement at 16, and also side brick 19 spanned between the water circulating elements 10 and the fire box side sheets 20.

The side brick 19 rest on the shoulders afforded by the enlargements 16,- and lean against the side sheets 20. Between the forward end of the arch l5 and the throat sheet 13 are interposedspacer brick 21. Referring now, more especially to Figs.

3 and 4, it will be seen that at their ends resting on the water circulating elements 10 both middle brick 18 and side brick 19.11am recesses or notches 22, between projecting portions 23 at their fore and aft corners; It

is the projections 23 that engage the water circulating elements 10 and their shoulders 16. These recesses 22 afford passage forcfiow of the furnace gases from beneath the arch upward through it in contact with the water circulating element surfaces. so as to. heat them moreeffectively. Such gas streams through thearch also cause eddies in the gases above and below it, thus promoting thorough intermixture, and complete combustion. As shown in Fig. 2, the by-pass openings or channels 22 through the archspan edges are of substantial width crosswise of the fire box as well as fore and aft,

so as to permit really substantial flow. Otherwise, the friction at their Walls would be apt to render the actual flow through them so trifling as to be practically insignificant as far as heating, etc., are concerned.

Still referring to Figs-2 and 1, it will be observed that on one side the ends of the brick 18 and 19 are reduced at 25 (by way of bevelling) to afford suitable bearthe brick is in a manner-wedged, so to speak, between the shoulders 27, by virtue of the lesser bevel of its ends at 26. As a further safeguard against the brick 18 turning and falling endwise between the water element shoulders 16, its ends are formed with shoulders 28 adjacent the bevels 26.in the present instance, substantially at right angles to the adjacent lateral surfaces of the brick. From, Fig. 4 it will be seen that on occasion these shoulders 28 will engage the Water circulating element shoulders 16 ust below their corners 27 and prevent the brick 18 from slipping up at the end where such engagementoccurs and down at the other end,-as it must do in order to turn and tall endwisebetween water circulating element enlargements 16. .is here shown. the corner between the convergently sloping end surfaces and 26 is rounded substantially in conformity with the head at the bases of the water circulatinc element shoulders 16.

In the case of the side brick 19, the end surfaces 26 adjacent the shoulders 28 are not beveled, but substantially parallel with the corresponding lateral surfaces ot the brick. The lean to arrangement of these brick 19 generally dispenses with inversion for variations in span.

As already mentioned, the form of brick 18, 19 shown in Figs. 1 to +1: has a central recess 22 in its end, with water circulatinc element engaging projections 23 to either side. at its corners. In the brick of Fig. these relations are reversed: i. e., each brick has a single water circulating element engaging projection 23, there shown as centrally located in respect of the fore and aft dimension of the brick. Thus each opening in the arch is formed by corner recesses 22, 22, in an adjacent brick,just as in Figs. 1 to l the septa between such openings are formed by corner projections 23, 23 on adjacent brick. The Fig. 5 type of brick is somewhat more rugged and less liable to breakage; while the other type is individually more stable and less liable to jar loose or out of place when in service.

What, I claim is:

1. The combination with a fire box and an internal water-leg therein of a refractory arch across the fire box comprising: fire brick resting on said waterleg and recessed adjacent the same to afford passage for gases through the arch in contact with the water leg.

2. The combination with a lire box and an internal waterleg therein, of a retractory arch across the fire box resting on said waterleg and having apertures for passage of gases through the arch discharging against the waterleg' above the arch.

3. 1111 arch brick for shouldered fire box water circulating elements having its ends differently reduced at its two sides to adapt it, by inversion, to greater variations in span, and also recessed to aitord passage for gases in contact with such water circulating elements, regardless of inversion of the brick.

4. An invertible arch brick for shouldered fire box water circulating elements having its ends differently reduced at its two sides to adapt it to variations of span, and itself shouldered at one end to prevent slippage of the other end when the brick is in use on relatively long spans.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

JOHN L. NICHOLSON. 

